We have started a new Bible study at the Moms of Grace forum. We are working through the book Why Forgive, by Johann Christoph Arnold. This book is available at no charge on line...check out the study and join us if you wish!
http://www.momsofgrace.net/forumdisplay.php?f=121
Friday, March 30, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
A Weekend with the Girls
I just had the most wonderful long weekend! Last week was Spring Break, so everyone was home except Alicia (her break doesn't start until next week). Doug took off from work, so I actually got to see him (well, for two days, anyway...). Wednesday morning Becca, three of her friends, and I took off in our van to visit Ozark Christian College in Joplin, MO. The girls spent two nights with friends in the dorms and got to experience college life first hand. They attended classes, ate in the "Caf", and learned that a hilly campus may be pretty but impractical!
While they were staying up all night having dorm parties, I got to spend quiet time in a nearby hotel. I had grand and glorious plans to do a lot of writing, but I wasn't able to get a good Internet connection for the research I needed. So I spent my time reading two new books and shopping. After the chaos that is our home, it was nice to be in a quiet place.
On Friday, the girls and I took off across the state toward Sikeston. We travelled through a part of Missouri that I've never seen before. The highway was relatively new and the scenery was great.
Doug and Sammi met us at Sikeston, and Doug took the van and the 'college bound' girls home while Sammi and I headed to Jackson, TN to surprise Alicia. She was performing in a college Variety Show and I was dying to see it. She looked fabulous in her fancy black gown and long gloves while she sang Motown hits with two other girls. About twelve of her best friends danced on the stage -- they did a wonderful job. After the show we surprised her -- she had no idea we were there. We got to go out for a midnight snack and we spent a little time together on Saturday before Sammi and I had to hit the road again.
I know I'm biased, but I am so proud of our girls. Each one has a terrific personality, and they have very different strengths. Each reflects a different view of God to me, and I learn and grow every time I am around them. As the girls get older I am honored to watch them become the women God wants them to be. There are plenty of struggles, but over time those will just make them stronger. I love spending time with the boys, too, but being able to spend time with the girls without 'testosterone distractions' is a blessing!
Thanks, girls, for making my life a loving adventure!
While they were staying up all night having dorm parties, I got to spend quiet time in a nearby hotel. I had grand and glorious plans to do a lot of writing, but I wasn't able to get a good Internet connection for the research I needed. So I spent my time reading two new books and shopping. After the chaos that is our home, it was nice to be in a quiet place.
On Friday, the girls and I took off across the state toward Sikeston. We travelled through a part of Missouri that I've never seen before. The highway was relatively new and the scenery was great.
Doug and Sammi met us at Sikeston, and Doug took the van and the 'college bound' girls home while Sammi and I headed to Jackson, TN to surprise Alicia. She was performing in a college Variety Show and I was dying to see it. She looked fabulous in her fancy black gown and long gloves while she sang Motown hits with two other girls. About twelve of her best friends danced on the stage -- they did a wonderful job. After the show we surprised her -- she had no idea we were there. We got to go out for a midnight snack and we spent a little time together on Saturday before Sammi and I had to hit the road again.
I know I'm biased, but I am so proud of our girls. Each one has a terrific personality, and they have very different strengths. Each reflects a different view of God to me, and I learn and grow every time I am around them. As the girls get older I am honored to watch them become the women God wants them to be. There are plenty of struggles, but over time those will just make them stronger. I love spending time with the boys, too, but being able to spend time with the girls without 'testosterone distractions' is a blessing!
Thanks, girls, for making my life a loving adventure!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Daffodil Days
The verse of the day:
Jeremiah 31:25 "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (NIV)
I'm not sure why, but things have gotten totally crazy around here. Between doctors visits, school conferences, concerts, and to-do lists, it's hard to feel like I accomplish anything. Every time I cross one item off my list, it seems like three more appear. I'm starting to feel like a cartoon character, running for my life but not moving forward.
Most of the things we are involved in are really good things! Doug is starting to golf again, my writing and speaking activities are picking up, Becca is getting prepared for her mission trip to Ecuador, Sammi made the soccer team, and Alicia's choir group is coming to St. Louis on their Spring Break tour. But positive or not, everything just seems to be a bit overwhelming at the moment.
But in the midst of it all, God shines through. I walked outside yesterday and was greeted by the bobbing head of the first daffodil of the year! I'm not sure there is much that rekindles my faith than seeing spring life return after a long winter. Daffodils represent hope and faith to me. After a long winter of regrouping and re-energizing, they are persistent and prolific.
Spring is here, and it's time to go get dirt under my fingernails!
Jeremiah 31:25 "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (NIV)
I'm not sure why, but things have gotten totally crazy around here. Between doctors visits, school conferences, concerts, and to-do lists, it's hard to feel like I accomplish anything. Every time I cross one item off my list, it seems like three more appear. I'm starting to feel like a cartoon character, running for my life but not moving forward.
Most of the things we are involved in are really good things! Doug is starting to golf again, my writing and speaking activities are picking up, Becca is getting prepared for her mission trip to Ecuador, Sammi made the soccer team, and Alicia's choir group is coming to St. Louis on their Spring Break tour. But positive or not, everything just seems to be a bit overwhelming at the moment.
But in the midst of it all, God shines through. I walked outside yesterday and was greeted by the bobbing head of the first daffodil of the year! I'm not sure there is much that rekindles my faith than seeing spring life return after a long winter. Daffodils represent hope and faith to me. After a long winter of regrouping and re-energizing, they are persistent and prolific.
Spring is here, and it's time to go get dirt under my fingernails!
Friday, March 09, 2007
It's Party Time!
When is the last time you had a TGIF Party? Or any party for that matter? In the Old Testament there were celebrations and festivals for all kinds of things ... Habbakuk, Harvest, Passover, Day of Atonement, and many more. There were frequently feasts and days set aside for regular gathering and celebration.
The 5 Minutes for Moms Website is having a virtual party, and everyone can join in. Check it out here:
Your challenge today is to put on your party clothes, fix yourself a treat, crank up the music, and check out all the cool blogs of other people who have joined the party. If you have a blog and sign up, you might just win one of over a hundred door prizes! Come on over!
The 5 Minutes for Moms Website is having a virtual party, and everyone can join in. Check it out here:
Your challenge today is to put on your party clothes, fix yourself a treat, crank up the music, and check out all the cool blogs of other people who have joined the party. If you have a blog and sign up, you might just win one of over a hundred door prizes! Come on over!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
The World's Aglow!
Verse for the day: Isaiah 60:1-3 "Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you. The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, but God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you. Nations will come to your light, kings to your sunburst brightness." (The Message, taken from www.biblegateway.com)
For a brief moment this morning, the whole world was glowing with a lavendar light. Now before you send the nice young men in their little white coats over to take me away (if you recognize this reference, you too are showing your age!), there were no spaceships hovering over our court. The sky is overcast this morning, and as the sun rose it reflected through the clouds at just the right angle to create a pervasive glow. I just had to stop and stare, it was so amazing.
It made me think of the glow that Moses had on his face after meeting God. When you come face to face with something so wonderful, all you can do is reflect it's glory. Whether or not people were looking outside, the glow hit all homes equally. As in the verse, God's glory broke over me and anyone who happened to see, but many people missed it. They were sleeping, or busy getting ready for their day. God wants us to stop and revere his creation. Sometimes he'll give us a long time to catch his glory, as in Autumn when the leaves are magnificent for days. Other times he gives us a brief view that we might miss if we look the other way.
I pray that I am ever watchful so I don't miss those brief moments. They may come in nature or in the laughter of a child, and they give me yet another reason to praise my God!
If you get a chance, click on the Faith Lifts button to the left. This is a site devoted to improving our faith through practical application in all elements of our lives. Today they published an updated site with specific topics to help us grow. I get to host the column called "Self." This is a great opportunity for me to stretch and I'm very excited about it!
For a brief moment this morning, the whole world was glowing with a lavendar light. Now before you send the nice young men in their little white coats over to take me away (if you recognize this reference, you too are showing your age!), there were no spaceships hovering over our court. The sky is overcast this morning, and as the sun rose it reflected through the clouds at just the right angle to create a pervasive glow. I just had to stop and stare, it was so amazing.
It made me think of the glow that Moses had on his face after meeting God. When you come face to face with something so wonderful, all you can do is reflect it's glory. Whether or not people were looking outside, the glow hit all homes equally. As in the verse, God's glory broke over me and anyone who happened to see, but many people missed it. They were sleeping, or busy getting ready for their day. God wants us to stop and revere his creation. Sometimes he'll give us a long time to catch his glory, as in Autumn when the leaves are magnificent for days. Other times he gives us a brief view that we might miss if we look the other way.
I pray that I am ever watchful so I don't miss those brief moments. They may come in nature or in the laughter of a child, and they give me yet another reason to praise my God!
If you get a chance, click on the Faith Lifts button to the left. This is a site devoted to improving our faith through practical application in all elements of our lives. Today they published an updated site with specific topics to help us grow. I get to host the column called "Self." This is a great opportunity for me to stretch and I'm very excited about it!
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